The Daily Grind

Accept the light God has given you

December 18, 2010

Though Christmas is around the corner and the sights, sounds and aromas surround us, many are thinking ahead, even now, of the future: The new year and all it holds for them.

Preoccupation with goals, resolutions and possibly even regrets flood our minds as the Christmas carols play and the cookies bake. A new thought for the pre-new year anticipation is move into your future with the assurance that you will have just enough light for the step your are on.

Stormie O'Martian, in her book with the above title states: "God has so much for us. We have no idea. We look for crumbs under the table; he has prepared a feast for us in the royal banquet hall. We wonder if he remembers who we are; he has been calling our name. We wait for him to notice our plight; he waits for us to take his hand. We see ourselves in the dark because we've done something wrong; he sees us in the light because we've done something right. He moves powerfully at our request; we don't even recognize the answers to our own prayers. We have trouble trusting Him fully with our future; the future He has for us is better than the one we dream of for ourselves. 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' (I Corinthians 2:9)

We must never consider our future without first asking God to be in charge of it. And once we do that, we are to leave it in his hands and not lose sleep over it."

We've all walked down steep steps only to find that if we focus on the bottom one instead of the step we are on, we will stumble and fall. We won't have any problem when we focus on the step we are on. It's the same with our lives. Looking too far ahead can cause us to stumble. Stormie says: "God is not asking you to have your whole future figured out, he is asking you to trust that he has your future planned."

That doesn't mean we cannot have goals. In a couple of weeks, most will have a pen and paper in hand, and begin resolving some changes they want to take place in their lives in 2011. It's good to keep in mind, "Goals are not meant to be a plumb line to determine the shortest distance to success, but rather a compass to give a sense of direction."

You see, you can trust the one who died for you. He not only wants to be your savior, but also your guide. He wants to take your hand and lead you in the path you should follow.

"So keep your eyes on him. Make him your only source of light. follow him on that narrow pathway and you will be free. Free to trust him for every step. Free to be all he made you to be. Free to do what he called you to do. Free to enjoy all he has for you. And you won't end up regretting the times you didn't live for him, because there will no longer be any. You'll walk in a depth of love, peace, fulfilment and joy you never thought possible.

You don't have to have your life all figured out; you only have to take one step at a time. God will give you just enough light for the step you're on, and every time you put your hand in his, you'll know you've got a solid hold on your future," O'Martian said.

Here is a prayer for your future from "Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On": "Lord, I ask you to be in charge of my future. I don't want to dream dreams if you are not in them. I don't want to make plans that You will not bless. I don't want to work hard trying to harvest something that will never bear fruit because I did not receive the seed from you. Help me not to waste valuable time getting off the path and having to come back to the same place again. I don't want to get to the end of my life and regret the time I spent not living for you. Therefore I surrender my past, present and future to you."